Category: expectations

My friend has always found solace in the fact that everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end. It sounds obvious, but few people really internalize what that means. We often feel sadness or angst when something ends, rather than acknowledging it as a natural consequence of each cycle.

• Rather than lamenting the need to sell your house and move into independent living, recognize it as a natural step toward the end of life
• Instead of expecting to work at one place for a career, be comfortable knowing your service there has a term
• Rather than foregoing social vulnerability, accept that friendships and relationships may fade as life and circumstances evolve
• Instead of being sad about someone leaving a position, moving, or going off to school, consider it an expected and even joyful outcome
• Rather than missing out on all the love of a pet, acknowledge upfront that if you purchase or adopt one, you will likely outlive it and need to say goodbye
• Instead of fretting about the cold weather, remember that each season naturally concludes

Expecting the end can go a long way toward helping you accept it.

One of the most widely prescribed medicines today was made possible, in part, because two observant scientists saw potential in something that most others would have dismissed.

In 1928, Bacteriologist Alexander Fleming returned from vacation to find one of his samples had been contaminated by a blue-green mold. He noticed that the bacteria were not growing where the mold was, and named this mold Penicillin.

Fleming did not have the staff or chemistry training to take his experiment further, but in 1940, Howard Florey continued Fleming’s work and was able to grow a limited number of penicillin cultures. Supplies were very limited until a lab assistant saw a cantaloupe in a grocery store that was covered with “a pretty, golden mold,” which yielded 200 times the amount of penicillin previously available.

Penicillin has saved thousands of lives, and it came to be thanks to recognizing the benefits of a contaminated sample and a lab assistant’s melon. Both scientists were curious and astute — being open to answers that came from anywhere, not just where they expected. May you be receptive to seeing the possibilities that present themselves to you.

In a fictional high school on a television show, a candidate ran for Junior Class President, promising that the class trip would be to Hawaii. On that issue alone, she won the election, but, of course, no such trip materialized.

As we head into off-year elections for local races, I hear the equivalent of ‘Hawaii’ in actual campaign promises, but overpromising also occurs outside the political arena. Managers and coaches claim they will “win it all” this year. Salespeople boast that they will set new sales records. Construction workers promise that the work will be done in “two weeks,” when that deadline is laughable.

Going to Hawaii sounds wonderful, but believing it is nonsensical. Stick with those who promise something they can actually deliver.